Frank Clement (racing driver)
Francis Charles "Frank" Clement (born June 15, 1888 in Berkhamsted , † February 15, 1970 in Hexham ), was a British racing driver .
Career
Frank Clement was a test driver for Bentley , as the company owners him Walter Owen Bentley asked, as a team partner of John Duff in 1923 the 24-hour race at Le Mans to go to the start. Duff used a Bentley 3 Liter Sport and was actively supported by the factory. The duo finished the race in fourth place overall. A year later , Clement's greatest success in motorsport followed when he, together with Duff, won the 24-hour race.
When Bentley came to Le Mans as a works team a year later, the Briton became one of the legendary Bentley Boys . Until Bentley withdrew in 1930 , he was at the start every year on the Sarthe. After several failures he achieved two top positions in this endurance race in 1929 with fourth and 1930 with second overall .
statistics
Le Mans results
year | team | vehicle | Teammate | placement | Failure reason |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1923 | Capt. John F. Duff | Bentley 3 Liter Sport | Capt. John F. Duff | Rank 4 | |
1924 | Duff & Adlington | Bentley 3 liter | Capt. John F. Duff | Overall victory | |
1925 | Capt. John Duff | Bentley 3 Liter Sport | Capt. John F. Duff | failure | Wagon fire |
1926 | Bentley Motors Ltd. | Bentley 3 Liter Speed Model | George Duller | failure | Engine failure |
1927 | Bentley Motors Ltd. | Bentley 4½ liter | Leslie Callingham | failure | accident |
1928 | Bentley Motors Ltd. | Bentley 4½ liter | Dudley Benjafield | failure | cooler |
1929 | Bentley Motors Ltd. | Bentley 4½ liter | Jean Chassagne | Rank 4 | |
1930 | Bentley Motors Ltd. | Bentley Speed Six | Richard Watney | Rank 2 |
literature
- RM Clarke: Le Mans - the Bentley & Alfa Years 1923–1939 Brocklands Books 1999, ISBN 1-85520-4657 .
Web links
Individual evidence
personal data | |
---|---|
SURNAME | Clement, Frank |
ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Clement, Francis Charles |
BRIEF DESCRIPTION | British racing car driver |
DATE OF BIRTH | June 15, 1888 |
PLACE OF BIRTH | Berkhamsted |
DATE OF DEATH | February 15, 1970 |
Place of death | Hexham |